Chemical Looping Combustion of Methane Using a Copper-based Oxygen Carrier in a 150 kW Reactor System

Chemical looping combustion experiments have been conducted in the 150 kW CLC reactor at SINTEF Energy Research in Trondheim with good results. Methane was used as fuel and porous copper oxide based particles, with a bulk density of 800 kg/m3 were, used as oxygen carrier. At a fuel power of 140 kW the methane conversion was limited to about 90%, but at 100 kW a methane conversion of up to about 98% was achieved with an oxygen deficit of about 3% compared to the stoichiometric amount. At the same time, the specific fuel reactor inventory was just above 120 kg/MW, which is low compared to data found in the literature. The total active inventory in both reactors together was then 44 kg and the overall excess air ratio was about 1.2.